“This shows that the relationship between the two allies is strong”.
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Toner said fighting the kind of drug war that the Duterte administration is fighting right now is hard and a significant burden.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte looked set for a potentially awkward dinner Wednesday, with widespread reports suggesting he would be seated between two men he had recently insulted.
The Philippines is the US’ oldest Asian partner, and is designated as a major “non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally”.
Philippines ambassador to Laos, Marciano Paynor, said the tiff with Obama was part of a learning curve for Duterte, who needed a chance to make the transition from being a city mayor to a head of state.
Duterte is seeking to boost ties with China in the face of a dispute between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told reporters at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Vientiane, Laos that “the nature of our alliance with the Philippines has been and remains rock solid”.
Amy Searight, a former senior US defense official who led the final negotiations, said the alliance remains strong and USA officials are not too concerned about the pending implementation of the new defense cooperation pact – a key part of the Obama administration’s strategic push into Asia.
Releasing the images, Duterte’s government said they had evidence China was taking steps to begin dredging – a major escalation.
Emphasising on the need to enhance connectivity with the ASEAN nations, PM Modi said the engagement was driven by linking our economic success and development experiences.
More than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office in late June.
Andanar was unaware if Duterte’s absence in the meetings had anything to do with a reported miscarriage suffered by his daughter, the mayor of their southern Philippine city of Davao.
“President Obama and President Duterte have already talked with each other. Putang ina, I will swear at you in that forum”, Duterte said, using the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch”.
“But we’re going to continue to say that there must be due process, there must be ways to fight against drugs that are consistent with global standards and norms”, he said. “And that’s going to consistently be our message going forward”, Toner told reporters in Washington.
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“It will help us in the movements of the Philippine Coast Guard like patrol missions”, Balilo added.
